Living with Wildlife: Common Questions

Bring your birdfeeders into the house at night or attach baffles to the poles or hanging wires where the birdfeeders are attached to prevent the animal from getting into the birdseed. You can also try hanging your feeders 8 to 10 feet off the ground. Try to avoid having seed accumulate on the ground. In some cases, take down birdfeeders for two to four weeks to encourage wildlife to move to another location.

A coyote is not likely to attack a human, even a child, but conflicts with pets may occur. Follow the suggestions for keeping wildlife interactions positive to prevent conflicts with coyotes. Learn more about coyotes.

Discern if the bird is a hatchling or a fledgling. Hatchlings are generally naked, with only a few down feathers on their bare skin. They are likely to be only a few days old and are often huddled with their siblings. Hatchlings, if uninjured, should be returned to the nest or a nest-like structure as close as possible to where they were found. After returning them to the nest, leave the area. Human scent will not deter a mother from returning; however, a mother will not return if humans are hovering nearby.

Fledglings have most of their adult feathers with fully feathered tails and wings. They can hop, walk, and flutter on their own. They are unable to fly, but often leave the nest to practice getting food. If fledglings are uninjured and in a safe area, they should be left alone. If necessary, you can move the fledgling to an immediately adjacent area with cover for safety.

If the bird is injured, call a permitted wildlife rehabilitator and make arrangements to either transport it immediately to the rehabilitator’s facility or keep it in a box away from animals and other humans until the rehabilitator can pick it up. Contact the rehabilitator before getting involved. Rehabilitators are able to decide if they have space and availability to assist.

Most wild birds are protected by state and/or federal law and can only be possessed by licensed or permitted individuals.

If Canada geese are nesting on your property, you can remove an empty nest at any time without a permit. As soon as eggs are laid, registration is required from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You must have the permit prior to egg and nest destruction activities.

To remove adult geese, you will need a permit. Contact the Permitting Biologist for information on filling out a Waterfowl Permit Request. Please visit our Canada goose management page for more information.

Animals rarely abandon their young. The best way to make sure an animal is truly orphaned is to wait and check it periodically. If you are unsure, place some strings or sticks across the nest. If they are later disturbed, the mother has returned. Do not hover—mother animals will not return if humans or pets are standing nearby.

If the nest becomes destroyed, and the baby animals are unharmed, you can place them back in a nest or nest-like structure close to where they were found and leave the area. Human scent does not deter a mother from returning.

Find out more about ways to determine if wildlife needs help.

If you find a fawn by itself, with no obvious signs of injury, wait and check it periodically. If the fawn is not injured, the mother is likely close by. If the fawn has obvious signs of injury or if it is known that the mother has been killed, contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator before intervening. Please note that rehabilitators reserve the right to determine if they have the ability to assist. White-tailed deer are protected by law and cannot be kept as a pet.

Find out more about leaving fawns be.

A bird cannot be kept for personal use unless it is a non-protected species such as a European starling, English sparrow, or feral pigeon. All other birds are protected by state and/or federal law. A person also cannot possess any bird parts such as feathers, nests, or eggs without the proper permit. For donation to a school, university, or nature center for an educational display, a permit needs to be obtained from the DNR. Non-profit organizations, nature centers, and other educational organizations can request a salvage permit for this purpose.

There are many ordinary causes of wild bird mortality including disease, weather events, predation, trauma from flying into buildings, windows or power lines, and legal pest control. In many instances, dead wild birds may not be routinely collected by authorities for testing.

According to Indiana State Department of Health guidelines, if you need to dispose of a dead bird, do not handle it with your bare hands. Use gloves or a plastic bag turned inside out over your hand to pick up the bird and dispose of the bird/bag in the trash. Do not touch your face and wash your hands thoroughly after disposal.

If you find multiple dead wild birds in an area, you can fill out a Sick or Dead Wildlife report form or contact your District Wildlife Biologist.

If you find a dead or sick bat, report it to the DNR using our Report Sick or Dead Wildlife form. There are many ordinary causes of bat mortality including disease, weather events, dehydration, predation, insecticide/pesticide treatments, or juvenile fatalities. In some instances, dead or sick bats may be collected by authorities for testing.

Do NOT pick up a bat with your bare hands. Any wild animal can carry disease; therefore, precautions should be taken if an animal needs to be moved. Wear heavy-duty leather gloves and scoop up the bat with a shovel or container. If the bat is alive, move it to an immediately adjacent tree branch, away from nearby buildings if possible. To dispose of a dead bat, scoop it into a plastic bag. Place it into another plastic bag, close it securely, spray with disinfectant, and dispose of it in your trash.

If there is any question about whether a person or animal has been bitten or scratched by a bat, contact your county health department immediately to make arrangements to have the bat tested. The most common test conducted on bats is for the rabies virus; however, a very small percentage of bats submitted to the Indiana State Department of Health test positive for the disease.

Wild turtles should not be kept as pets. They are long-lived, require proper care, and can carry salmonella bacteria. Find out more about turtles as pets here. Some species of turtles can be collected from the wild. To collect an allowed species from the wild, identification is important. A person must have a permit or a hunting or fishing license and must collect using a legal method. Endangered and protected species such as Eastern box turtles and alligator snapping turtles cannot be collected at any time from the wild. The collection of any reptile or amphibian eggs at any time is not allowed. Find out more about regulations here. If you see a turtle crossing the road and would like to help it, a turtle can be picked up and moved to the other side of road in the direction it was heading. Turtles should not be handled by their tails. Instead, turtles should be handled by grasping the back of their shells firmly with two hands. Never compromise personal safety to assist wildlife. If you find a turtle that is injured, you may contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator before intervening. Please note that rehabilitators reserve the right to determine if they have the ability to assist.

The Department of Natural Resources does not provide removal or capture services for problem wildlife. Additionally, domesticated animals are not regulated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

If necessary, you can contact a qualified Wildlife or Waterfowl Control Operator to deal with problem wildlife (such as when causing damage or posing a threat to people or domestic animals). Operators name their own rates and fees.

In some cases, a landowner/tenant can designate another person to take that animal for them. Learn more about the process.